Buckle for belts and the like



Nov. 3, 1936. J: p- 2,059,515

BUCKLE FOR BELTS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 6, 1934 Ja/znflFrezysinyer Patented Nov. 3, 1936 UNITED STATES ATE rice

John B. Freysinger, New Britain, Conn, assignor to North and Judd Manufacturing Company,

New Britain, Conn,

necticut Application October 6,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to buckles for wearing apparel, such as belts, and has particular reference to buckles having detachable insignia members bearing initials, emblems, or the like.

The aim of the invention is to provide an improved buckle with an insignia member which may be readily attached to and detached from the buckle. With my improved arrangement, any one of a number of insignia members of like construction, but differing from one another in insignia or initial, may be applied to the buckle, depending upon the wishes of the particular purchaser or user. The insignia members and the arrangement for securing the same to the buckle are very simple in construction and add but little expense to the buckle.

Other obects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out more in detail hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of elements and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing, wherein I have shown, for illustrative purposes, one embodiment which the present invention may take:

Figure 1 is a front View of the complete assembly, the same being applied to the ends of a belt;

Fig. 2 is a rear view of the assembly, the belt ends being omitted;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view through the buckle, this view being taken substantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a detail View, partly in section, and shows the insignia member partly displaced during the act of removing or applying it; and

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the insignia member.

Referring to the drawing in detail, I have shown my improved arrangement applied to an old form of buckle, it being understood that this disclosure is by way of illustration only. The buckle illustrated comprises two separable members or plates A and B each formed from sheet metal. The member A is in the form of a generally rectangular frame having side bars l0 and I l. Extending from the inner edge of the side bar It! is a pair of spaced ears l2. Projecting from the outer edge of the bar III is an extension portion l3, the ends of which are bent backwardly to provide parallel wings I4. These wings are apertured, as at l5, so as to receive the gudgeons l6 located at the opposite ends of a corporation of Con- 1934, Serial No. 747,205

a pivoted clamp element IT. The clamp element, as is usual, is formed of sheet metal and has one of its lips serrated, as at it, so as to provide teeth adapted to bite into the belt end 29. Projecting from the inner edge of the other bar H is a lug ill. The ears l2 and the lug I!) are parallel to the plane of the frame but are offset rearwardly thereof a distance substantially equal to the thickness of the metal of which the parts of the buckle are formed so that, when the parts are assembled, the body portion of the plate B is substantially flush with the frame.

The member B comprises a sheet metal plate having a body or panel portion 25 of such size and shape as to fit within the frame portion of the member A. The member B has a rearwardly offset extension 26 adapted to lie behind and extend laterally beyond the side bar ll of the frame member. This extension is providedwith wings 28 which support a pivoted clamping element 29 similar in construction to the clamping element H. The strap end 22 is secured against the back of the extension by the element 29. At the juncture of the body portion 25 of the plate B and the extension 26 thereof is provided a slot 30 of such size as to receive the lug l9. At the opposite side of the body portion 25 is an integral tongue M which is rolled back of the body portion. The rolled portionof the tongue extends slightly beyond the lateral edge of the panel 25 so that, when the parts are assembled, it will be engaged behind a lip 32 provided by the edge of the bar it) between the ears l2. The portion of the tongue behind the panel is spaced from and inclined towards the plane of the panel.

In accordance with the present invention, the panel 25 of the plate B is provided with an opening 35 for accommodating the insignia member C. The shape and size of this opening will, of course, depend upon the shape and size of the portion of the insignia member to be viewed from the front of the buckle. By way of illustration, the opening is shown as being more or less square. The marginal edge about the opening has a bead 35 which adds to the pleasing appearance and forms a groove in the rear face of the plate. The insignia member, which is preferably formed of a strip of resilient sheet metal bent to shape, has an insignia bearing or panel portion 31, a

curved or arched tongue portion 38, and a connecting portion 39 between one side edge of the portion 37 and one end of the tongue 38. The portion 39 is at right angles to the portion 3'1. Provided at the opposite side edge of the panel portion 31 is a rearwardly offset grooved lip 40.

When the insignia member is in position on the plate B, the panel portion 3'! is located within the opening 35, the free end of the tongue 38 is engaged against the rear face of the panel 25, the free end of the tongue 3| engages the rear face of the tongue 38 between the ends of the latter, and the edge of the bead 36 is engaged in the groove of the lip 40. The tongue 38 is under compression between the tongue 3| and the body portion 25 so that the insignia member is resiliently held in place. Due to the interengagement between the bead and the lip 40, possibility of the insignia member accidentally sliding out of position away from the tongue 3| is guarded against. It will be observed that the tongue 3| serves the function of a clasp for holding the two parts of the buckle together, and also serves to hold the insignia member in place.

The manner of applying and removing the insignia member from the buckle plate is shown in Fig. 4. It will be understood that, when it is desired to apply the insignia member to the buckle plate B, the free end of the tongue 38 is inserted between the plate and the tongue 3], as shown in Fig. 4, and then the insignia member is slid to the left until the panel 31 comes into registry with the opening 35, whereupon the insignia member will spring to final position. To remove the insignia member, the panel portion thereof is pushed back out of the opening 35 and then the insignia member is slid to the right, referring to Fig. l. To assemble the two plates A and B of the buckle, the lug I9 is engaged in the the slot 36 while the plate B is in the broken line position shown in Fig. 3, and then this plate is swung down in the direction of the arrow to the full line position.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be observed that I provide a very simple arrangement which will permit of the insignia members being interchangeably applied to the buckle. With this arrangement, a retailer, for example, may supply the demands of the trade from a single stock of buckles and insignia members. The purchaser can select the design of buckle which he prefers and an insignia member bearing his initial, for example, and then the retailer can apply the selected insignia member to the buckle.

As many changes could be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of this invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the above description or shown in the accompanying drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the language used in the following claims is intended to cover all of the generic and specific features of the invention herein described and all statments of the scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, might be said to fall therebetween.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparel buckle, a plate member having a body portion provided with an opening therethrough, a tongue integrally secured at one end to the plate and having a free end directed towards the opening within the plate, said tongue being spaced from and located rearwardly of the body portion, and an insignia member having a panel portion fitting in said opening and a laterally extending tongue located and compressed between said body portion and said first mentioned tongue.

2. In an apparel buckle, a plate member having a body portion provided with an opening therethrough and also provided at one edge with a tongue bent back of the body portion, the free end of said tongue being directed towards and being aligned with said opening, and an insignia member having a panel portion fitting in said opening and a rearwardly-offset, laterally-extending arched tongue interposed between said body portion and first mentioned tongue.

3. In an apparel buckle, a plate member having a body portion provided with an opening therethrough, said body portion also having a tongue at one edge bent backwardly and directed towards said opening, an insignia member having a panel portion fitting in said opening and a rearwardly offset tongue extending from one edge of the panel portion and engaged between said first mentioned tongue and the body portion of said plate, and interengaging means between the other edge of said panel and the adjacent edge of said opening for assisting in holding the panel in located position with respect to said body portion.

4. In an apparel buckle, a plate member having a body portion provided with an opening and having a groove in the marginal edge thereabout, said body portion also having a tongue at one edge bent backwardly and directed towards said opening, and an insignia member having a panel portion fitting in said opening and a rearwardly ofifset tongue extending from one edge of the panel portion and engaged between said first mentioned tongue and the body portion of said plate, said panel portion having a grooved lip at the side opposite said offset tongue and receiving the adjacent marginal edge about said opening.

5. In an apparel buckle, two separable plate members one having a frame and the other having a body portion adapted to fit therein, means securing the plate members together, said body portion being provided with an opening therethrough and having a rearwardly projecting tongue which extends inwardly behind the body portion towards the opening, and a detachable insignia member having an insignia portion fitting within the opening in the body portion, said insignia member having a rearwardly and lateral- 1y extending portion removably engaged between the tongue and body portion to demountably secure the insignia member in position.

6. In an apparel buckle, a plate member having an aperture therethrough adapted to removably receive an insignia member therein, a detachable insignia member fitting within the aperture and having a projecting portion adapted to extend back of said plate, and interengaging means between said plate and insignia member including a resilient clamping member on the plate adapted to engage said projecting portion remote from said aperture and to resiliently and detachably maintain the insignia member in position.

JOHN B. FREYSINGER. 

